Tuesday, August 12, 2008

In my polls, I've determined that most of you prefer ice cream over whipped cream on pie and cake. And this week, we're making a sour cream ice cream flavored with fruit for Tuesdays with Dorie. Unlike the ice creams I made earlier this year, this ice cream is dead easy to make since it doesn't require cooking a custard first.

To begin, you essentially make a jam. Purée it a little and then finish by gradually adding heavy cream and sour cream. {I'm going to have to try turning some of the jars of jam in my pantry into ice cream soon!} Pop it into your ice cream maker, and you're done.

Homemade ice cream gets harder than commercial ice cream in the freezer. David Lebovitz has some great tips about making homemade ice cream softer. As well, fellow TWD-er, Steph from a whisk and a spoon, has a great tip this week as well. {Ice cream is difficult to photograph so I was glad it didn't melt too fast!}

Fruity Options

I tried making this ice cream with saskatoons, since they have such a distinctive taste, and are currently at the local farmers' markets in Saskatchewan. Someone asked me what they taste like, but after asking several people, no one has a great way of describing them. "Sweet-tart” someone said. Another said "almondy”.

"Attempts to describe the taste will range anywhere from a combination of blueberry and raisin, to blueberry, cherry and almond." (Link)

A Neapolitan TwistTo compare, I made this ice cream with blueberries (as called for in the recipe), saskatoons, and raspberries. Then, I gave it a "Neapolitan” twist by freezing all three kinds in half a watermelon.

I don't think Homer from The Simpsons would like my fruity twist on Neapolitan ice cream…

Scene from The Simpsons[Homer grabs a box of Neapolitan ice cream] Mmmm, chocolate... [opens box to reveal that the chocolate section is empty and all the others untouched] D'oh! [throws the box away and grabs another] Mmmm, chocolate... [same result] D'OH! Marge, we need some more chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream!

A grown-up ice cream float

I was inspired by Zoë from Zoë Bakes to try this ice cream with champagne and turn it into a grown-up ice cream float. Just add a scoop to your favorite champagne, and you have a wonderful way to end a dinner party (or start one!).

Recipe

You can find the recipe for Blueberry {Saskatoon/Raspberry} Sour Cream Ice Cream in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! Thanks to Dolores of Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity who chose the recipe for this week.

Tasting NotesAll three ice creams were delicious, but everyone's favorite was the raspberry version. The blueberry came in second, and third was the saskatoon one. It was more tangy than the other two. If you like frozen yogurt, you'll love this ice cream because the tanginess of the sour cream is similar to frozen yogurt. Not too sweet, yummy, fruity, tangy, smooth, delicious. And easy!